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Prep time
15 minutes
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Cook time
5 minutes
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Serves
2
Author Notes
This is scrambled egg toast for the ages. For being so custardy and memorable, the eggs themselves are pretty elemental. The secret in this preparation is really good quality eggs. They make all the difference, as the only other ingredient is butter. Choose a carton that indicates “pasture-raised” or “from free-roaming hens” along with the “Certified Humane” stamp: free roaming chickens are happy chickens. They eat a more diverse diet and lay eggs with deeply golden, bouncy yolks. Once the scramble is cooked it glows golden, dazzling the eyes even before you eat. And the flavor? To die for.
Cook the beaten eggs over very low heat after the butter foams, slowly dragging a silicone spatula back and forth as the curds form. At any point, feel free to move the skillet off the heat to catch up to the process - these eggs only take 3 minutes, so a lot can happen in a matter of seconds. To make a great thing even better, mushrooms are sizzled in a separate skillet with enough spice to impart extra verve, then piled high onto the eggs, which of course are spooned onto good sourdough toast for the full effect. Make these and thank me later. —Melina Hammer
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Ingredients
- for the mushrooms
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6 ounces
cremini mushrooms, brushed of any debris, trimmed and sliced
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1/2 teaspoon
fresh thyme leaves
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1/8 teaspoon
cayenne
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1 tablespoon
extra-virgin olive oil
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kosher salt to taste
- for the eggs
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4
free-range eggs
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1 tablespoon
butter
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1/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
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1
thick slice sourdough toast
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Flake salt & freshly cracked pepper, to garnish
Directions
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Crack eggs into a bowl and add the salt. Whisk until frothy.
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Set a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil when the pan is hot. Swirl to coat, lower to medium, and add mushrooms. Vigorously agitate pan to coat mushrooms in the oil, then add thyme and cayenne and a pinch of salt.
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Sauté undisturbed for a minute, then agitate pan again and arrange lesser-cooked sides face down. After another minute, move the remaining lesser cooked mushrooms towards hottest part of pan to brown further. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
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Melt butter in a small enamel skillet over medium heat. when butter stops foaming, turn heat to low and pour in beaten eggs. Use a silicone spatula to drag eggs from edge to center, repeating in an X pattern until you have dragged all of the mixture.
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As curds form, swirl around the periphery of the pan in smooth, broad strokes, alternating with dragging the spatula across the center to ensure the mixture doesn’t stick. Repeat this process until they resemble wet but fully formed curds, about 3 minutes.
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Pile the eggs onto toast. Arrange mushrooms on top of eggs. Finish with a few grinds of black pepper and flake salt, and cut in half to serve.
Melina is the author of 'A Year at Catbird Cottage' with Ten Speed Press. She grows an heirloom and pollinator garden and forages wild foods at her namesake Hudson Valley getaway, Catbird Cottage. Melina loves serving curated menus for guests from near and far seeking community amidst the hummingbirds, grosbeaks, finches, and the robust flavors of the seasons.
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